WO2022181263A1

WO2022181263A1 - Medical image processing device, medical image processing method, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2022181263A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/003924
Authority: WO
Inventors: 穂高橋; 健太郎深沢; 大介菊地
Original assignee: ソニーグループ株式会社
Priority date: 2021-02-24
Filing date: 2022-02-02
Publication date: 2022-09-01
Also published as: CN116887760A; JP2022129194A

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an advantageous feature to acquire information based on the depth position of an observation target site of a biological tissue. [Solution] This medical image processing device is provided with: an image acquisition unit for acquiring a fluorescent image obtained by imaging a biological tissue including a phosphor while irradiating the biological tissue with excitation light; and a depth position information acquisition unit for acquiring depth position information relating to the depth position of the phosphor on the basis of the fluorescent image. The depth position information acquisition unit acquires distribution information indicating an image intensity distribution of the phosphor in the fluorescent image by analyzing the fluorescent image, and acquires depth position information by collating the distribution information with a distribution function representing an image intensity distribution in the biological tissue.

Description

MEDICAL IMAGE PROCESSING APPARATUS, MEDICAL IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD, AND PROGRAM

The present disclosure relates to a medical image processing apparatus, a medical image processing method, and a program.

In the technical field of ecological observation, there are cases where biological tissue is labeled with a fluorescent reagent and a fluorescent image of the biological tissue is observed. By using a fluorescent reagent, biological tissues such as blood vessels, blood flow, lymphatic flow, and tumors, which are difficult to see or photograph with the naked eye under white light, can be easily visualized. An operator can perform an accurate surgery (that is, fluorescence-guided surgery) by performing a procedure while confirming a fluorescence image together with a normal observation image obtained under white light.

On the other hand, fluorescence images are blurred due to fluorescence scattering in living tissue. In particular, as the distance from the surface of the biological tissue to the observation target (phosphor) such as a blood vessel increases, the degree of blurring of the fluorescence image tends to increase. Therefore, it may be difficult to clearly grasp the boundaries of the phosphors in the fluorescence image. In addition, it is not easy to accurately visually determine the depth position of the phosphor in the living tissue from the fluorescence image.

Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus that determines the depth position of a blood vessel using a plurality of spectroscopic images with different wavelength ranges, and applies blood vessel enhancement processing according to the depth position to the fluorescence image of the blood vessel.

JP 2010-51350 A

The apparatus of Patent Document 1 acquires a spectroscopic image based on a normal observation image captured by irradiating a blood vessel with white light, and determines the depth position of the blood vessel based on the spectroscopic image.

Therefore, the objects such as blood vessels whose depth position can be determined by the device of Patent Document 1 are limited to those that can be shown in the normal observation image. That is, the apparatus of Patent Literature 1 cannot determine the depth position of an object that cannot normally be shown in an observation image. Therefore, the apparatus of Patent Document 1 cannot determine the depth position of an object that can be shown in the fluorescence image but cannot be shown in the normal observation image.

Therefore, the device of Patent Literature 1 cannot, for example, determine the depth position of deep tissue that is far from the surface of the living tissue.

The present disclosure provides an advantageous technique for acquiring information based on the depth position of an observation target site in living tissue.

One aspect of the present disclosure is an image acquisition unit that acquires a fluorescence image obtained by photographing the biological tissue while irradiating the biological tissue containing the fluorescent substance with excitation light, and based on the fluorescent image, the depth of the fluorescent substance a depth position information acquiring unit that acquires depth position information related to the position, the depth position information acquiring unit analyzing the fluorescence image and spreading information indicating the image intensity distribution of the phosphor in the fluorescence image. , and compares the spread information with a spread function representing the image intensity distribution in living tissue to acquire depth position information.

The image acquiring unit acquires a visible light image obtained by photographing the living tissue while irradiating the living tissue with visible light, and the depth position information acquiring unit analyzes the visible light image to obtain the image of the living tissue. The type may be estimated, and a spread function corresponding to the estimated type of living tissue may be obtained.

The spread information may be the brightness distribution of the phosphor in the fluorescence image, and the spread function may be a line spread function based on the brightness distribution of the phosphor and the depth position information.

The spreading function includes, as a parameter, a scattering coefficient determined according to the fluorescence wavelength of the phosphor, and the depth position information acquiring unit acquires the scattering coefficient corresponding to the fluorescence wavelength, and the spreading function reflecting the scattering coefficient and the spreading Depth position information may be obtained based on the information.

The biological tissue includes a plurality of fluorescent substances having different fluorescence wavelengths, and the image acquisition unit captures a fluorescent image obtained by irradiating the biological tissue with excitation light of each of the plurality of fluorescent substances and photographing the biological tissue. The depth position information acquisition unit may acquire depth position information for each of the plurality of phosphors based on the fluorescence image.

The depth position information acquisition unit may acquire relative depth position information indicating the relative relationship of depth positions between the plurality of phosphors based on the depth position information of each of the plurality of phosphors.

The medical image processing apparatus may include an image quality adjustment unit that performs sharpening processing on the fluorescence image according to the depth position information.

The medical image processing apparatus includes an observation image generation unit that generates an observation image, and the image acquisition unit acquires a visible light image obtained by photographing the living tissue while irradiating the living tissue with visible light, and performs observation. In the image, the portion of the fluorescence image that corresponds to the phosphor after undergoing a sharpening process may be superimposed on the visible light image.

The biological tissue contains a plurality of fluorescent substances having different fluorescence wavelengths, and the image acquisition unit acquires a fluorescent image obtained by photographing the biological tissue while irradiating the biological tissue with excitation light of each of the plurality of fluorescent substances. the depth position information acquisition unit acquires depth position information for each of the plurality of phosphors based on the fluorescence image; On the other hand, the portion corresponding to the plurality of phosphors of the fluorescence image after adjusting the relative brightness among the plurality of phosphors and adjusting the relative brightness among the plurality of phosphors is An observation image may be generated by superimposing it on the visible light image.

The medical image processing apparatus includes an observation image generation unit that generates an observation image, and the image acquisition unit acquires a visible light image obtained by photographing the living tissue while irradiating the living tissue with visible light, and performs observation. The image generation unit analyzes the fluorescence image after undergoing the sharpening process, specifies the range of the phosphor in the living tissue, and produces an observation image in which the portion corresponding to the range of the phosphor in the visible light image is emphasized. may be generated.

The observation image generation unit may generate an observation image in which a portion corresponding to the range of the phosphor in the visible light image is emphasized according to the depth position information.

Another aspect of the present disclosure includes a step of acquiring a fluorescence image obtained by photographing the biological tissue while irradiating the biological tissue containing the fluorescent substance with excitation light; Acquisition of the depth position information related to the depth position of the phosphor by comparing the spread information with the spread function representing the image intensity distribution of the biological tissue. and a medical image processing method.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer with a procedure for acquiring a fluorescence image obtained by photographing the living tissue while irradiating the living tissue containing a fluorescent substance with excitation light, and analyzing the fluorescence image to obtain a fluorescence image. A depth position related to the depth position of the phosphor is obtained by comparing the spread information with the procedure for acquiring the spread information indicating the image intensity distribution of the phosphor in the living tissue and the spread function representing the image intensity distribution in the living tissue. It relates to a procedure for obtaining information and a program for executing.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a medical observation system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a medical image processing apparatus. FIG. 3 shows an example of a visible light image (normal observation image) of living tissue. FIG. 4 shows an example of a fluorescence image of living tissue. FIG. 5 shows an example of a fluorescence image (that is, a sharp fluorescence image) obtained by subjecting the fluorescence image shown in FIG. 4 to sharpening processing. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view along the XZ plane of an example of living tissue. 7 is a cross-sectional view along the XY plane of the living tissue shown in FIG. 6. FIG. FIG. 8 shows an example of a function (that is, an approximation function) obtained by approximating the one-dimensional luminance distribution along the observation reference line of the phosphor based on the Gaussian function. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an observation image according to the first embodiment; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of an observation image according to the first embodiment; FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of the medical image processing method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 shows an example of the relationship between wavelength (horizontal axis) and fluorescence intensity (vertical axis) of two types of phosphors (ie, first phosphor and second phosphor). FIG. 13 shows an example of a fluorescent image of living tissue taken before surgery with the first fluorescent reagent mixed in blood. FIG. 14 shows an example of a fluorescent image of living tissue taken after surgery in a state in which blood is mixed with a second fluorescent reagent different from the first fluorescent reagent. FIG. 15 is a flow chart showing an example of a medical image processing method according to the second embodiment. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an observation image according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing another example of an observation image according to the second embodiment; FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing an example of a medical image processing method according to the third embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of an observation image according to the third embodiment. It is a figure which shows roughly the whole structure of a microscope system. It is a figure which shows the example of an imaging system. It is a figure which shows the example of an imaging system.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be exemplified with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment]
[Medical observation system]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a medical observation system 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the medical image processing apparatus 12. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 shows an example of a visible light image (normal observation image) 100 of a living tissue 200. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 shows an example of a fluorescence image 101 of a biological tissue 200. As shown in FIG. FIG. 5 shows an example of a fluorescence image 101 (that is, a sharp fluorescence image 102) obtained by performing sharpening processing (scattering suppression processing) on the fluorescence image 101 shown in FIG.

The medical observation system 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes an imaging unit 11, a medical image processing device 12 and an output unit 13.

The imaging unit 11, the medical image processing apparatus 12, and the output unit 13 may be provided integrally or may be provided separately. For example, controllers of two or more of the imaging unit 11, the medical image processing apparatus 12, and the output unit 13 may be configured by a common control unit.

The imaging unit 11, the medical image processing apparatus 12, and the output unit 13 are equipped with a transmitting/receiving section (not shown), and can transmit/receive data between them by wire and/or wirelessly.

The imaging unit 11 acquires a visible light image 100 (see FIG. 3) of the living tissue 200 by irradiating the living tissue 200 including the fluorescent substance 202 such as the blood vessel 201 with visible light while photographing the living tissue 200 . The imaging unit 11 acquires a fluorescence image 101 (see FIG. 4) of the living tissue 200 by photographing the living tissue 200 while irradiating the living tissue 200 with excitation light.

In this way, the imaging unit 11 acquires both the visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image 101 of the biological tissue 200 to be observed.

The imaging unit 11 shown in FIG. 1 includes a camera controller 21 , a camera storage section 22 , an imaging section 23 , a light irradiation section 24 and a sample support section 25 .

The camera controller 21 controls components of the imaging unit 11 .

The camera storage unit 22 stores various data and programs. A component of the imaging unit 11 (for example, the camera controller 21) can appropriately read, rewrite, update, and delete various data and programs in the camera storage section 22. FIG.

Under the control of the camera controller 21, the sample support section 25 supports the sample of the biological tissue 200 to be observed while positioning it at a predetermined observation position. Arrangement of the sample of the living tissue 200 at the observation position may be manually performed by hand, or may be performed mechanically by a transfer device (not shown).

A sample of biological tissue 200 supported by the sample support portion 25 contains a fluorescent substance 202 labeled with a fluorescent reagent (eg, ICG (Indocyanine Green), 5-ALA, or fluorescein).

Although this embodiment assumes that only one phosphor 202 is included in the living tissue 200 to be observed, the living tissue 200 may include two or more phosphors 202 as described later.

Under the control of the camera controller 21, the light irradiation unit 24 irradiates the living tissue 200 positioned at the observation position with imaging light (that is, visible light and excitation light).

The light irradiation section 24 has a visible light irradiation section 24a and an excitation light irradiation section 24b. The visible light irradiation unit 24a emits visible light (especially white light) toward the observation position. The excitation light irradiation unit 24b emits excitation light for fluorescence excitation of the phosphor 202 toward the observation position.

When there is a possibility that multiple types of fluorescent reagents with different excitation wavelengths are used to fluoresce the target site, the excitation light irradiation unit 24b can emit multiple types of excitation light with those excitation wavelengths. In this case, the excitation light irradiation unit 24b can selectively emit excitation light having a wavelength corresponding to the fluorescent reagent that is actually used.

The visible light irradiator 24a and the excitation light irradiator 24b may be composed of separate devices, or may be partially or wholly composed of a common device.

Under the control of the camera controller 21, the imaging unit 23 captures the image of the living tissue 200 positioned at the observation position to acquire captured images (that is, the visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image 101).

The imaging unit 23 has a visible light imaging unit 23a and an excitation light imaging unit 23b. The visible light imaging unit 23 a acquires a visible light image 100 of the biological tissue 200 . The excitation light imaging unit 23b acquires the fluorescence image 101 of the biological tissue 200. FIG.

The visible light imaging unit 23a and the excitation light imaging unit 23b may be configured by separate devices, or may be partially or wholly configured by a common device.

The visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image 101 of the biological tissue 200 acquired in this way are transmitted from the imaging unit 11 to the medical image processing apparatus 12 under the control of the camera controller 21.

A specific transmission method of the visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image 101 from the imaging unit 11 to the medical image processing apparatus 12 is not limited. The visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image 101 may be directly transmitted from the imaging unit 23 to the medical image processing apparatus 12 immediately after imaging, or may be transmitted from a device other than the imaging unit 23 (for example, the camera controller 21) to the medical image. It may be sent to processing device 12 . For example, the visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image 101 may be temporarily stored in the camera storage unit 22 and then read out from the camera storage unit 22 and transmitted to the medical image processing apparatus 12 .

The medical image processing apparatus 12 analyzes the captured image of the living tissue 200 (especially the fluorescence image 101) and acquires the depth position information of the phosphor 202. The medical image processing apparatus 12 also generates observation images based on the visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image 101 .

In the observation image of the present embodiment, the locations of the phosphors 202 in the living tissue 200 are visibly displayed. However, the specific images and other information included in the observed image are not limited.

Details of an example of the functional configuration and an example of image processing of the medical image processing apparatus 12 will be described later.

The output unit 13 has an output controller 31 , an output storage section 32 and a display device 33 .

The output controller 31 controls the components of the output unit 13.

The output storage unit 32 stores various data and programs. The components of the output unit 13 (for example, the output controller 31) can appropriately read, rewrite, update, and delete various data and programs in the output storage section 32. FIG.

The display device 33 displays observation images sent from the medical image processing device 12 . An observer such as an operator can confirm the range of the phosphor 202 in the living tissue 200 by viewing the observation image displayed on the display device 33 .

[Medical image processing device]
Next, a functional configuration example and an image processing example of the medical image processing apparatus 12 will be described.

　The medical image processing apparatus 12 shown in FIG. These functional units provided in the medical image processing apparatus 12 can be configured by arbitrary hardware and/or software, and two or more functional units may be realized by a common processing unit.

The image acquisition unit 41 acquires the visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image 101 of the biological tissue 200 (including the phosphor 202) from the imaging unit 11.

The image acquisition unit 41 directly transmits the acquired visible light image 100 and fluorescence image 101 to other processing units (image processing controller 40, depth position information acquisition unit 42, image quality adjustment unit 43, and observation image generation unit 44). , or temporarily stored in the processing storage unit 45 . Other processing units (image processing controller 40, depth position information acquisition unit 42, image quality adjustment unit 43, and observation image generation unit 44) of the medical image processing apparatus 12 generate the visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image as necessary. 101 may be acquired from the processing storage unit 45 .

The depth position information acquisition unit 42 acquires depth position information related to the depth position of the phosphor 202 based on the fluorescence image 101 . That is, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 derives depth position information of the phosphor 202 based on the degree of blurring of the phosphor 202 in the fluorescence image 101 .

The depth position information referred to here is information associated with the depth position of the phosphor 202, and typically information directly indicating the depth position of the phosphor 202 (for example, the distance from the tissue surface 200a (depth is the absolute value of However, the depth position information may be information indirectly indicating the depth position of the phosphor 202, or may be other information derived from the depth position and other information.

The depth position information acquisition unit 42 of this embodiment analyzes the fluorescence image 101 and acquires spread information indicating the image intensity distribution of the phosphor 202 in the fluorescence image 101 . Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 acquires depth position information of the phosphor 202 by comparing the spread information of the phosphor 202 with the spread function representing the image intensity distribution in the biological tissue 200 .

The spread information of the phosphor 202 indicates the degree of actual blurring of the phosphor 202 in the fluorescence image 101 . The blurring of the phosphors 202 in the fluorescence image 101 is caused by light scattering in the biological tissue 200, and therefore varies depending on the depth position of the phosphors 202. FIG. On the other hand, the spread function is a function in which the degree of blurring of the phosphor 202 in the fluorescence image 101 is formulated according to the depth position of the phosphor 202 .

Therefore, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 derives the depth position of the phosphor 202 by comparing the spread information indicating the actual degree of blurring of the phosphor 202 with the formulated spread function.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an example of the biological tissue 200 along the XZ plane. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along the XY plane of the biological tissue 200 shown in FIG. FIG. 8 shows an example of a function (that is, an approximation function) obtained by approximating the one-dimensional luminance distribution of the phosphor 202 along the observation reference line 203 based on the Gaussian function. The "X-axis", "Y-axis" and "Z-axis" are mutually perpendicular, and the direction along the Z-axis (ie, the Z-axis direction) indicates the depth direction.

As shown in FIG. 6, fluorescence emitted from phosphor 202 located at a depth represented by “d” from surface (ie, “tissue surface”) 200a of biological tissue 200 reaches tissue surface 200a. are scattered by the living tissue 200 during the As a result, the fluorescent image of the phosphor 202 observed on the tissue surface 200a is blurred and larger than the actual size of the phosphor 202 (see FIG. 7).

Therefore, in the fluorescence image 101, the phosphor 202 appears in a wider range than the actual range.

The depth position information acquisition unit 42 acquires information on the "range of the phosphor 202 in the fluorescence image 101" wider than the actual range of the phosphor 202 as "spread information".

Typically, the one-dimensional luminance distribution of the phosphor 202 in the fluorescence image 101 can be obtained as "spread information of the phosphor 202". The depth position information acquisition unit 42 of the present embodiment analyzes the luminance distribution of the fluorescence image 101, and the linear portion of the phosphor 202 having the length L along the X-axis direction shown in FIG. Obtain the one-dimensional intensity distribution for line 203). In the examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the linear portion having the maximum length in the X-axis direction of the phosphor 202 is set as the observation reference line 203 .

The depth position information acquisition unit 42 of the present embodiment uses a statistically modeled function (for example, a probability distribution function such as a Gaussian function or a Lorentz function) for the spread information of the phosphor 202 acquired in this way. Fit the criterion to get the approximation function.

By using the approximation function (see FIG. 8) obtained in this way as the "spread information of the phosphor 202", the comparison between the spread information and the spread function (especially the line spread function) can be simplified, reducing the processing load. can be reduced.

On the other hand, the spread function is typically represented by a point spread function (PSF), which is a response function for a point light source, or a line spread function (LSF), which is a response function for a line light source. . Since the actual phosphor 202 has a length, a line spread function is used as the spread function in this embodiment.

The point spread function (PSF(ρ)) and the line spread function (LSF(ρ)) are expressed, for example, by the following equations.

In Equations 1 to 4 regarding the point spread function (PSF(ρ)) and the line spread function (LSF(ρ)), “ρ” is a plane perpendicular to the depth direction (Z-axis direction) ( That is, it represents the position on the XY plane).

"d" represents the depth position of the phosphor 202 (that is, the position in the depth direction from the tissue surface 200a to the phosphor 202 (in particular, the observation reference line 203)).

“μ _a ” represents an absorption coefficient, and is determined according to the type of the biological tissue 200 (for example, an organ such as the liver; more specifically, the medium (composition) forming the biological tissue 200).

“μ _s ′” represents an equivalent scattering coefficient and is determined according to the type of living tissue 200 and the fluorescence wavelength of the phosphor 202 .

Since there is a predetermined correspondence between the wavelength of the excitation light and the fluorescence wavelength of the phosphor 202, “μ _s ′” can be determined in association with the wavelength of the excitation light. For most fluorescent reagents, the difference between the excitation and fluorescence wavelengths is small, and in some cases the difference between the excitation and fluorescence wavelengths can be substantially ignored with respect to the degree of blurring of the phosphor 202 . In such cases, it is possible to regard the excitation wavelength as the fluorescence wavelength and define 'μ _s '' in relation to the excitation wavelength. Also, when a plurality of fluorescent reagents may be used and the fluorescent wavelength of each fluorescent reagent is uniquely defined, "μ _s ′" can be defined in association with the fluorescent reagent. In this case, “μ _s ′” is indirectly associated with the fluorescence wavelength.

Thus, specific values of "μ _a " and "μ _s ′" can be obtained in advance and stored in a database. The processing storage unit 45 of the present embodiment pre-stores a large number of “μ _a ” data in association with the type of living tissue 200 . Similarly, the processing storage unit 45 stores in advance a large number of “μ _s ′” data in association with the type of living tissue 200 and the fluorescence wavelength of the phosphor 202 .

Therefore, a specific value of “μ _a ” can be read from the processing storage unit 45 according to the type of the actual living tissue 200 . Similarly, a specific value of “μ _s ′” can be read from the processing storage unit 45 according to the actual type of biological tissue 200 and the actual fluorescence wavelength of the phosphor 202 .

"L" represents the length of the phosphor 202 on the XY plane perpendicular to the depth direction (see FIG. 7). In this embodiment, “L” is represented by the X-axis direction length of the observation reference line 203 representing the phosphor 202 .

“κ _d ” is determined based on the absorption coefficient (μ _a ) and the equivalent scattering coefficient (μ _s ′), as expressed by Equation 2 above.

As is apparent from the above equations 1-4, the spread functions (that is, the point spread function “PSF(ρ)” and the line spread function “LSF(ρ)”) are “d”, “μ _a ”, “μ _s ′” and “L” as parameters. Therefore, once “μ _a ”, “μ _s ′” and “L” are fixed at certain values, the spreading function is expressed as a function of “d” and the depth of phosphor 202 is expressed as shown in Equation 4 above. The position “d” can be represented by a function of the position “ρ” of the phosphor 202 in the XY plane (“f(ρ)”).

The depth position information acquisition unit 42 of the present embodiment calculates the length "L" of the phosphor 202 to be observed from the "range of the phosphor 202 in the fluorescence image 101" specified by analyzing the fluorescence image 101. to get The depth position information acquisition unit 42 also reads and acquires the corresponding “μ _a ” and “μ _s ′” from the processing storage unit 45 according to the type of the living tissue 200 and the fluorescence wavelength of the phosphor 202 . Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 acquires “LSF(ρ)” reflecting the corresponding values of “L”, “μ _a ” and “μ _s ′”, and based on the “LSF(ρ)” to derive “f(ρ)”.

The depth position information acquisition unit 42 can acquire the type of the living tissue 200 and the fluorescence wavelength of the phosphor 202 by any method.

The depth position information acquisition unit 42 of the present embodiment estimates the type of the living tissue 200 by analyzing the visible light image 100, and determines the fluorescence wavelength of the phosphor 202 based on the information sent from the imaging unit 11. discriminate. However, the depth position information acquisition unit 42, based on information manually input by the operator to the medical observation system 10 (for example, the medical image processing apparatus 12), determines the type of the biological tissue 200 and the fluorescence of the phosphor 202. Wavelength may be obtained.

In this way, the depth position information acquiring unit 42 converts the “line spread function based on the luminance distribution of the phosphor 202 and the depth position information” determined according to the type of the biological tissue 200 into “the depth of the phosphor 202 . It is obtained as a spread function based on the vertical position. Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 derives the depth position information of the phosphor 202 based on the line spread information (approximate function) based on the luminance of the phosphor 202 and the line spread function.

The image quality adjustment unit 43 (see FIG. 2) performs sharpening processing on the fluorescence image 101 according to the depth position information of the phosphor 202 .

The specific method of sharpening processing is not limited. Typically, sharpening processing is performed using the inverse of the spread function that indicates the degree of blurring of the phosphor 202 , and the image restoration filter derived from the spread function is applied to the fluorescence image 101 .

The image quality adjustment unit 43 may perform other sharpening processing on the fluorescence image 101, or may perform arbitrary image quality adjustment processing on the visible light image 100 and/or the fluorescence image 101.

The observation image generation unit 44 generates an observation image 103 . The observation image 103 is not limited as long as the location of the phosphor 202 in the living tissue 200 is represented visually.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the observation image 103 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the observation image 103 according to the first embodiment.

As an example, the observation image generator 44 can generate the observation image 103 by emphasizing the portion corresponding to the range of the phosphor 202 in the visible light image 100 (see FIG. 9).

In particular, in the fluorescence image 101 that has undergone the sharpening process, blurring of the phosphors 202 is reduced, and a more accurate range of the phosphors 202 appears. Therefore, the observation image generator 44 can more accurately identify the range of the phosphor 202 in the biological tissue 200 by analyzing the fluorescence image 101 after undergoing the sharpening process. Then, the observation image generation unit 44 can generate the observation image 103 by performing processing for emphasizing the corresponding portion of the range of the phosphor 202 in the visible light image 100 .

In this case, an observer observing the observation image 103 can clearly confirm the range of the phosphor 202 on the visible light image 100 .

As another example, the observation image generation unit 44 superimposes the portion corresponding to the phosphor 202 of the fluorescence image 101 after undergoing the sharpening process on the corresponding portion of the visible light image 100, thereby obtaining the observation image 103. can be generated (see FIG. 10).

In this case, an observer observing the observation image 103 can visually recognize the fluorescence state of the phosphor 202 on the visible light image 100 . Note that the observation image generation unit 44 superimposes the fluorescence image 101 of the phosphor 202 after performing image processing (for example, processing for adjusting color, gradation, and brightness) on the visible light image 100 to generate an observation image 103. may be generated.

Information indicating the depth position information of the phosphor 202 directly or indirectly may be reflected in the observed image 103 (see FIG. 9). In this case, the observer of the observation image 103 can intuitively grasp the depth position information of the phosphor 202 .

Information indicating the depth position information of the phosphor 202 can be reflected in the observed image 103 in any form. For example, in the observed image 103, a portion corresponding to the range of the phosphor 202 may be emphasized according to the depth position information. As an example, the observation image generation unit 44 generates the color, pattern, shading and/or brightness of the portion corresponding to the range of the phosphor 202 in the observation image 103 according to the depth position information of the corresponding phosphor 202. may be adjusted.

In this case, the observation image 103 may include an index display indicating the relationship between the highlighted display of the phosphor 202 and the depth position information of the phosphor 202 . In the example shown in FIG. 9, the depth position of the phosphor 202 is represented by the shade of the filling of the phosphor 202, and the contrast between the shade display and the depth position (that is, the distance from the tissue surface 200a (0 mm to 20 mm)). A bar-like index display indicating the relationship is included in the observed image 103 .

Furthermore, the imaging conditions for the visible light image 100 and/or the fluorescent image 101 of the biological tissue 200 may be optimized according to the depth position information of the phosphor 202 . That is, the imaging unit 11 shown in FIG. 1 may adjust the imaging conditions based on the “depth position information of the phosphor 202 ” sent from the medical image processing apparatus 12 . In this case, the imaging unit 11 may adjust, for example, the driving conditions of the camera (including the imaging element) and the state of the imaging light applied to the living tissue 200 (for example, the brightness of the excitation light and/or visible light).

Next, an example of a medical image processing method using the medical observation system 10 (in particular, the medical image processing apparatus 12) will be described.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing an example of the medical image processing method according to the first embodiment.

First, the image acquisition unit 41 of the medical image processing apparatus 12 acquires the visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image 101 of the biological tissue 200 from the imaging unit 11 (S1 in FIG. 11).

Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 analyzes the visible light image 100 to identify the type of the living tissue 200 (S2). A specific method of analyzing the visible light image 100 for specifying the type of the living tissue 200 is not limited, and the type of the living tissue 200 can be specified by using a known image processing method.

Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 acquires a line spread function corresponding to the type of the living tissue 200 (S3). As described above, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 of the present embodiment acquires the corresponding absorption coefficient and equivalent scattering coefficient read from the processing storage unit 45 and the length of the phosphor 202 (in particular, the observation reference line 203). Obtain the line spread function reflecting L and .

Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 analyzes the fluorescence image 101 and acquires line spread information regarding the luminance of the phosphor 202 in the fluorescence image 101 (S4). A specific analysis method of the fluorescence image 101 for acquiring the line spread information of the phosphor 202 is not limited, and the line spread information of the phosphor 202 (observation reference line of the phosphor 202) can be obtained by using a known image processing method. 203) can be obtained.

Then, the depth position information acquiring unit 42 compares the line spread information of the phosphor 202 with the line spread function to derive the depth position of the phosphor 202 (S5).

Then, the image quality adjustment unit 43 performs sharpening processing (that is, light scattering suppression processing) optimized based on the depth position of the phosphor 202 on the fluorescence image 101 (S6). As a result, a clear fluorescence image 101 of the phosphor 202 with less blur can be obtained, and the range of the phosphor 202 in the fluorescence image 101 can be brought closer to the actual range of the phosphor 202 .

Then, the observation image generator 44 generates an observation image 103 from the visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image 101 (especially the fluorescence image 101 after the sharpening process) (S7).

The image quality adjustment unit 43 and the observation image generation unit 44 may perform arbitrary image processing to adjust the image quality of the visible light image 100, the fluorescence image 101 and/or the observation image 103 of the living tissue 200. good.

After that, the observed image 103 is sent from the medical image processing device 12 to the output unit 13 and displayed on the display device 33 . Information indicating the depth position of the phosphor 202 is sent from the medical image processing apparatus 12 to the imaging unit 11 as necessary.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the depth position of the phosphor 202 can be acquired based on the degree of image blur of the phosphor 202 in the fluorescence image 101 .

Therefore, not only the phosphor 202 that appears in the visible light image 100 but also the phosphor 202 that does not appear in the visible light image 100 (for example, the phosphor 202 located deep in the living tissue 200) can be appropriately set at the depth. can be obtained. Moreover, the depth position of the phosphor 202 in the biological tissue 200 can be acquired without providing a special device.

Also, image processing (such as sharpening processing) optimized for the depth position of the phosphor 202 can be performed.

Thereby, the visibility of the phosphor 202 in the fluorescence image 101 can be improved, and the range of the phosphor 202 in the biological tissue 200 can be specified more accurately. Further, by generating the observation image 103 based on such a fluorescence image 101, an observer such as an operator can easily and accurately grasp the state of the phosphor 202 in the biological tissue 200 from the observation image 103. can be done.

As a result, it becomes possible for the operator to perform surgery (for example, endoscopic surgery) with more accurate techniques, and it is possible to effectively reduce the damage to normal tissue and cancer left in surgery.

[Second embodiment]
In the second embodiment described below, the same reference numerals are given to the same or corresponding elements as in the above-described first embodiment, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, it is assumed that the living tissue 200 includes a plurality of phosphors 202 having mutually different fluorescence wavelengths. For example, two or more types of fluorescent reagents are used to label one or more types of tissues (fluorescent substances 202), and two or more types of fluorescent substances 202 having mutually different fluorescence wavelengths are included in the living tissue 200 to be observed. .

In the following description, when a plurality of phosphors are collectively referred to without distinguishing their types, they are simply referred to as "phosphor 202".

FIG. 12 shows an example of the relationship between the wavelength (horizontal axis) and the fluorescence intensity (vertical axis) of two types of phosphors 202 (that is, the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b).

The first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b shown in FIG. 12 are excited in different wavelength ranges, and have different peak fluorescence wavelengths (that is, fluorescence wavelengths showing maximum fluorescence intensity). Specifically, the peak fluorescence wavelength Pw1 of the first phosphor 202a is shorter than the peak fluorescence wavelengths Pw2 and Pw3 of the second phosphor 202b.

In this way, by using a plurality of types of fluorescent reagents to cause a plurality of types of phosphors 202 to develop fluorescent colors, it is possible to simultaneously represent a plurality of types of phosphors 202 in a single observation image 103 while being distinguished from each other. be. An observer such as an operator can simultaneously observe the plurality of types of phosphors 202 in such an observation image 103 while distinguishing them from each other.

Such simultaneous observation of multiple types of phosphors 202 can be applied to various uses, and it is expected that the needs will increase more and more in fields such as surgery.

An application example of simultaneous observation of multiple types of phosphors 202 is given below.

As a first application example, there is an application for labeling different locations in the biological tissue 200 with different fluorescent reagents. For example, in hepato-biliary-pancreatic surgery, there is a case in which identification of a liver segment and identification of a liver cancer region are performed separately.

When both the liver segment and the liver cancer region are fluorescently colored using one type of fluorescent reagent, it is not known whether the boundary of the fluorescent region indicates the boundary between the liver segment and the liver cancer region.

On the other hand, the liver segment can be labeled with the first fluorescent reagent, and the liver cancer region can be labeled with the second fluorescent reagent having a different fluorescence wavelength (especially peak fluorescence wavelength) from the first fluorescent reagent. In this case, an observer such as an operator grasps each of the liver segment (first phosphor 202a) and the liver cancer region (second phosphor 202b) from the fluorescence image while clearly distinguishing the boundaries between the two. be able to. Therefore, the operator can more accurately grasp the position and range of the liver cancer region in the entire liver, and can appropriately remove the liver cancer while suppressing the expansion of the tissue excision range.

As a second application example, there is an application for labeling one location in the biological tissue 200 with different fluorescent reagents. For example, there is a case of observing the state of blood flow before and after surgery.

FIG. 13 shows an example of a fluorescent image 101 of a biological tissue 200 taken before surgery with the first fluorescent reagent mixed in blood. FIG. 14 shows an example of a fluorescent image 101 of a biological tissue 200 taken after surgery in a state in which a second fluorescent reagent different from the first fluorescent reagent is mixed with blood.

　Fluorescent reagents mixed with blood before surgery may remain in blood vessels (especially observation sites) even after surgery. Therefore, if the fluorescent reagent mixed in blood before surgery and the fluorescent reagent mixed in blood after surgery are the same, the fluorescence observed after surgery may be due to the fluorescent reagent administered before surgery or the fluorescent reagent administered after surgery. It is not possible to determine whether it is due to the fluorescent reagent used.

On the other hand, when the fluorescence wavelength of the first fluorescent reagent mixed with blood before surgery and the fluorescence wavelength of the second fluorescent reagent mixed with blood after surgery are different, fluorescence emitted by the first fluorescent reagent (see FIG. 13) , the fluorescence emitted by the second fluorescent reagent can be clearly distinguished (see FIG. 14). Therefore, the state of blood flow after surgery can be quickly and appropriately obtained from the fluorescence image 101 without performing treatment (that is, washing treatment) to remove the first fluorescent reagent from the observation target site before mixing the second fluorescent reagent into the blood. can be observed.

From the viewpoint of meeting the need for simultaneous observation of multiple types of phosphors 202 as described above, display of multiple phosphors 202 in observation image 103 is changed according to the type of phosphor 202 (that is, the type of fluorescent reagent). is preferred.

When an observation image 103 is generated by superimposing a fluorescence image 101 on a visible light image 100, if there is a large difference in brightness between a plurality of types of phosphors 202 in the fluorescence image 101, the fluorescence image 101 and the observation image 103 It is difficult to visually recognize the phosphor 202 in .

Therefore, by adjusting the brightness according to the type of the phosphor 202 for the portion corresponding to each phosphor 202 in the fluorescence image 101, the difference in brightness between the phosphors 202 is reduced, It is possible to make the phosphor 202 easier to see.

Also, when the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b overlap each other in the fluorescence image 101, the relative depth positional relationship between the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b is shown in the fluorescence image. 101 cannot be grasped. In particular, the fluorescence wavelengths of the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b are different from each other. Therefore, even if the degree of blurring in the fluorescence image 101 is simply compared between the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b, which of the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b is positioned higher. It is difficult to determine whether

Therefore, according to the depth position of each phosphor 202, the display color, pattern, shade and/or brightness of each phosphor 202 in the observation image 103 is changed according to the depth position information of the corresponding phosphor 202. may be adjusted. In this case, the depth position of each phosphor 202 can be grasped from the observed image 103, and the relative depth positional relationship between the phosphors 202 can be grasped.

Further, when the observed image 103 is generated by highlighting the corresponding range of the phosphors 202 in the visible light image 100, if all the phosphors 202 are similarly highlighted in the observed image 103 regardless of their types, the phosphors 202 Unable to discern the relative depth position relationship between Further, even if the depth position information of each phosphor 202 is reflected in the observation image 103, if all the phosphors 202 are highlighted in the same way regardless of the type, each fluorescence is displayed in the observation image 103. The type of body 202 cannot be identified.

Therefore, the display of each phosphor 202 in the observation image 103 may be emphasized according to both the depth position information and the type of phosphor 202. In this case, both the depth position of each phosphor 202 and the type of each phosphor 202 can be grasped from the observed image 103 . Also, from the observation image 103, it is possible to grasp the relative depth positional relationship between the phosphors 202 and the relative depth positional relationship between the types of the phosphors 202. FIG.

Next, an example of a medical image processing method using the medical observation system 10 (especially the medical image processing apparatus 12) of the second embodiment will be described.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of a medical image processing method according to the second embodiment.

A case in which the living tissue 200 includes two phosphors 202 (a first phosphor 202a and a second phosphor 202b) will be described below.

In the second embodiment, basically, the processing performed on a single phosphor 202 in the above-described first embodiment is performed on a plurality of phosphors 202 (first phosphor 202a and second phosphor 202b). performed for each.

First, the image acquisition unit 41 of the medical image processing apparatus 12 acquires the visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image 101 of the biological tissue 200 from the imaging unit 11 (S11 in FIG. 15).

The visible light image 100 of the living tissue 200 is obtained by the imaging unit 11 performing visible light imaging once.

On the other hand, the fluorescence image 101 of the biological tissue 200 may be obtained by the imaging unit 11 performing fluorescence imaging once, or may be obtained by performing fluorescence imaging a plurality of times. When both the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b can be appropriately excited by the excitation light emitted at once from the light irradiation section 24 (especially the excitation light irradiation section 24b) of the imaging unit 11, one fluorescence photography is performed. It is possible to obtain the fluorescence image 101 by . On the other hand, when both the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b cannot be appropriately excited by the excitation light emitted from the excitation light irradiation unit 24b at once, the fluorescence image 101 and the fluorescence image 101 of the first phosphor 202a are captured separately. A fluorescence image 101 of the second phosphor 202b is obtained.

Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 analyzes the visible light image 100 to identify the type of the living tissue 200 (S12).

Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 acquires the line spread function corresponding to the type of the living tissue 200 (S13). The depth position information acquisition unit 42 of the present embodiment acquires a line spread function for the first phosphor 202a and a line spread function for the second phosphor 202b.

Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 analyzes the fluorescence image 101 and acquires line spread information regarding luminance for each of the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b (S14).

Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 compares the line spread information of each of the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b with the corresponding line spread function, thereby obtaining the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202a. The depth position of 202b is derived (S15). As described above, the depth position information acquiring unit 42 of the present embodiment acquires depth position information of each of the plurality of phosphors 202 (the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b) based on the fluorescence image 101. do.

Then, the sharpening process optimized based on the depth positions of the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b is performed by the image quality adjustment unit 43 on each of the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b. is performed (S16).

After that, processing for adjusting the brightness between the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b in the fluorescence image 101 is performed on the fluorescence image 101 (S17). As a result, even when the emission intensities of the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b differ greatly, the brightness of the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b can be appropriately adjusted.

This brightness adjustment processing may be performed by the image quality adjustment unit 43 or may be performed by the observation image generation unit 44 . When the brightness adjustment is performed by the image quality adjustment section 43, the image quality adjustment section 43 substantially functions as the observation image generation section 44 as well.

After adjusting the relative brightness among the plurality of phosphors 202 in this manner for the portion corresponding to the plurality of phosphors 202 in the fluorescence image 101, the observed image 103 is generated (S18). . That is, the observation image generator 44 generates the observation image 103 from the visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image 101 (especially the fluorescence image 101 after the sharpening process).

A specific method for generating the observed image 103 is not particularly limited. For example, the observation image generation unit 44 superimposes, on the visible light image 100, portions corresponding to the plurality of phosphors 202 of the fluorescence image 101 after relative brightness adjustment among the plurality of phosphors 202 has been performed. may be used to generate the observed image 103 . Further, the observation image generation unit 44 may generate the observation image 103 by performing processing for emphasizing the corresponding portion of the range of the phosphor 202 in the visible light image 100 .

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of an observation image 103 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a diagram showing another example of the observation image 103 according to the second embodiment. In the example shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the biological tissue 200 to be observed contains three phosphors 202 (first phosphor 202a, second phosphor 202b, and third phosphor 202c).

As an example, the observation image generation unit 44 generates the observation image 103 by emphasizing the portions corresponding to the ranges of the

phosphors

202a, 202b, and 202c in the visible light image 100, as in the example shown in FIG. (See FIG. 16).

In the example shown in FIG. 16, the shading or color of the portion of the observation image 103 corresponding to the range of the phosphors 202 is adjusted according to the depth position information of the corresponding phosphors 202 . As a result, even if the phosphors (the second phosphor 202b and the third phosphor 202c in FIG. 16) overlap each other in the observation image 103, the overlapping

phosphors

202b and 202c can be distinguished and visually recognized.

As another example, the observation image generation unit 44 can generate an observation image 103 showing a state in which the

phosphors

202a, 202b, and 202c are projected onto the XZ plane (see FIG. 17). For example, based on the derived depth positions of the

phosphors

202a, 202b, and 202c, by projecting the

phosphors

202a, 202b, and 202c onto the XZ plane passing through the observation reference line 203, as shown in FIG. observation image 103 can be generated. If the thickness of each phosphor 202a, 202b, and 202c in the Z-axis direction is unknown, the thickness of each phosphor may be presumably determined according to the length (L) of each phosphor.

In this case, the relative depth positional relationship of the

phosphors

202a, 202b, and 202c can be intuitively grasped from the observation image 103.

In the example shown in FIG. 17, each of the

phosphors

202a, 202b, and 202c is displayed with shading according to the depth position. A color-coded display may be performed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, when a plurality of phosphors 202 are contained in the biological tissue 200, the observer can obtain a plurality of , the relative depth position relationship between the phosphors 202 can be grasped.

Therefore, an observer such as an operator can easily and accurately grasp the relative positional relationship between the phosphors 202 in the living tissue 200 from the observed image 103 . As a result, the operator can perform surgery while grasping the relative positional relationship between the phosphors 202, thereby improving the accuracy and stability of the procedure.

[Third embodiment]
In the third embodiment, elements that are the same as or correspond to those of the first and second embodiments described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the present embodiment, when the living tissue 200 includes a plurality of types of phosphors 202 having different fluorescence wavelengths, the depth position between the phosphors 202 is calculated without directly deriving the depth position of each phosphor 202. A relative relationship is derived. That is, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the absolute value of the depth position of each phosphor 202 is derived, but in the third embodiment, the relative depth position relationship between the phosphors 202 is derived.

As an example, the equivalent scattering coefficient (μ _s ') and the length (L) of the phosphor 202 among the parameters of the above-described spreading function (see Equations 1 to 4 above) can be obtained with corresponding values. , and the absorption coefficient (μ _a ) is assumed to be a case in which the corresponding value cannot be obtained. As such a case, for example, it is conceivable that the processing storage unit 45 stores data of the equivalent scattering coefficient (μ _s ′) but does not store the absorption coefficient (μ _a ).

In this case, as in the first and second embodiments described above, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 analyzes the fluorescence image 101 and obtains the spread information of each of the plurality of phosphors 202 in the fluorescence image 101. and obtain the length “L” of each phosphor 202 .

Further, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 analyzes the visible light image 100 to acquire the type of the living tissue 200, and based on the type of the living tissue 200 and the fluorescence wavelength of each phosphor 202, the equivalent scattering of each phosphor 202. A coefficient (μ _s ′) is acquired from the processing storage unit 45 .

As a result, for each of the plurality of phosphors 202 contained in the biological tissue 200, the relationship based on the spread information and the spread function including the depth position (d) and the absorption coefficient (μ _a ) of the phosphor 202 as unknown parameters formula" can be obtained. For example, when two phosphors 202 (that is, the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b) are included in the biological tissue 200, the above two relational expressions based on spread information and spread function are obtained.

Each of the plurality of relational expressions obtained in this manner represents the depth position of the corresponding phosphor 202 and the degree of blur, regardless of the fluorescence wavelength of the corresponding phosphor 202 .

Here, the value of the absorption coefficient (μ _a ) is determined according to the type of living tissue 200 . Therefore, the absorption coefficients (μ _a ) of the plurality of phosphors 202 contained in the same living tissue 200 show the same value.

Therefore, by comparing the above "plurality of relational expressions based on spread information and spread function" with each other, it is possible to grasp the relative relationship between the depth positions of the respective phosphors 202 .

For example, when comparing the two above relational expressions for the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b, the substantially unknown parameters are the depth position (d) of the first phosphor 202a and the depth position (d) of the second phosphor 202b. (d), and the common absorption coefficient (μ _a ). According to two relational expressions involving these three unknown parameters, it is possible to derive the relative relationship between the depth position of the first phosphor 202a and the depth position of the second phosphor 202b. .

As described above, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 of the present embodiment obtains the plurality of phosphors 202 based on the plurality of relational expressions obtained for each phosphor 202 and the spread information of each phosphor 202 . Acquire relative depth position information that indicates the relative relationship between depth positions.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of a medical image processing method according to the third embodiment. A case will be described below in which the living tissue 200 includes two phosphors 202 (a first phosphor 202a and a second phosphor 202b).

First, the image acquisition unit 41 of the medical image processing apparatus 12 acquires the visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image 101 of the biological tissue 200 from the imaging unit 11 (S21 in FIG. 18).

Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 analyzes the visible light image 100 to identify the type of the living tissue 200 (S22).

Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 acquires a line spread function corresponding to the type of living tissue 200 for each of the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b (S23).

Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 analyzes the fluorescence image 101 to acquire line spread information regarding luminance for each of the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b (S24).

Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 compares the line spread information of each of the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b with the corresponding line spread function, thereby obtaining the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202a. 202b is derived (S25). As an example, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 acquires depth position information of each of the first phosphor 202 a and the second phosphor 202 b based on the fluorescence image 101 . Then, the depth position information acquisition unit 42 compares the depth position information of the first phosphor 202a and the depth position information of the second phosphor 202b to obtain the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b. can derive relative depth position information between

After that, the image quality adjustment unit 43 of the present embodiment performs processing on the fluorescence image 101 to adjust the brightness between the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b in the fluorescence image 101 (S26).

Then, the observation image generation unit 44 generates an observation image 103 from the visible light image 100 and the fluorescence image 101 (especially the fluorescence image 101 after brightness adjustment) (S27).

For example, the observation image generation unit 44 superimposes the portion corresponding to the plurality of phosphors 202 of the fluorescence image 101 after the relative brightness adjustment among the plurality of phosphors 202 is performed on the visible light image 100. can be used to generate the observed image 103 . Alternatively, the observation image generation unit 44 acquires the range of each phosphor 202 from the fluorescence image 101 and emphasizes the portion in the visible light image 100 corresponding to the range of each phosphor 202 to generate the observation image 103. can do.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of an observation image 103 according to the third embodiment.

In the observation image 103 shown in FIG. 19, the filling colors of the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b change according to the relative depth positions of the first phosphor 202a and the second phosphor 202b. The closer the depth position of the first phosphor 202a and the depth position of the second phosphor 202b are, the closer the color is to the center of the bar-shaped index display shown in FIG. filled. On the other hand, the farther the depth position of the first phosphor 202a and the depth position of the second phosphor 202b are, the closer the colors are to the ends of the bar-shaped index display shown in FIG. 202b is filled.

In the example shown in FIG. 19, the display density of each phosphor 202 in the observation image 103 represents the relative depth position. The relative depth positions between may be represented in the observed image 103 .

[Application example]
An example of a microscope system to which the above-described medical observation system 10, medical image processing apparatus 12, and medical image processing method can be applied will be described below. The medical observation system 10, the medical image processing apparatus 12, and the medical image processing method described above can also be applied to any system, apparatus, method, etc. other than the microscope system described below.

A configuration example of the microscope system of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. A microscope system 5000 shown in FIG. 20 includes a microscope device 5100 , a control section 5110 and an information processing section 5120 . A microscope device 5100 includes a light irradiation section 5101 , an optical section 5102 , and a signal acquisition section 5103 . The microscope device 5100 may further include a sample placement section 5104 on which the biological sample S is placed. The configuration of the microscope apparatus is not limited to that shown in FIG. 20. For example, the light irradiation unit 5101 may exist outside the microscope apparatus 5100. It may be used as the unit 5101 . Further, the light irradiation section 5101 may be arranged such that the sample mounting section 5104 is sandwiched between the light irradiation section 5101 and the optical section 5102, and may be arranged on the side where the optical section 5102 exists, for example. The microscope apparatus 5100 may be configured for one or more of bright field observation, phase contrast observation, differential interference observation, polarization observation, fluorescence observation, and dark field observation.

The microscope system 5000 may be configured as a so-called WSI (Whole Slide Imaging) system or digital pathology system, and can be used for pathological diagnosis. Microscope system 5000 may also be configured as a fluorescence imaging system, in particular a multiplex fluorescence imaging system.

For example, the microscope system 5000 may be used to perform intraoperative pathological diagnosis or remote pathological diagnosis. In the intraoperative pathological diagnosis, while the surgery is being performed, the microscope device 5100 acquires data of the biological sample S obtained from the subject of the surgery, and transfers the data to the information processing unit 5120. can send. In the remote pathological diagnosis, the microscope device 5100 can transmit the acquired data of the biological sample S to the information processing device 5120 located in a place (another room, building, or the like) away from the microscope device 5100 . In these diagnoses, the information processing device 5120 receives and outputs the data. A user of the information processing device 5120 can make a pathological diagnosis based on the output data.

(Biological sample)
The biological sample S may be a sample containing a biological component. The biological components may be tissues, cells, liquid components of a living body (blood, urine, etc.), cultures, or living cells (cardiomyocytes, nerve cells, fertilized eggs, etc.).
The biological sample may be a solid, a specimen fixed with a fixative such as paraffin, or a solid formed by freezing. The biological sample can be a section of the solid. A specific example of the biological sample is a section of a biopsy sample.

The biological sample may be one that has undergone processing such as staining or labeling. The treatment may be staining for indicating the morphology of biological components or for indicating substances (surface antigens, etc.) possessed by biological components, examples of which include HE (Hematoxylin-Eosin) staining and immunohistochemistry staining. be able to. The biological sample may be treated with one or more reagents, and the reagents may be fluorescent dyes, chromogenic reagents, fluorescent proteins, or fluorescently labeled antibodies.

The specimen may be one prepared for the purpose of pathological diagnosis or clinical examination from a specimen or tissue sample collected from the human body. Moreover, the specimen is not limited to the human body, and may be derived from animals, plants, or other materials. The specimen may be the type of tissue used (such as an organ or cell), the type of target disease, the subject's attributes (such as age, sex, blood type, or race), or the subject's lifestyle. The properties differ depending on habits (for example, eating habits, exercise habits, smoking habits, etc.). The specimens may be managed with identification information (bar code information, QR code (trademark) information, etc.) that allows each specimen to be identified.

(light irradiation part)
The light irradiation unit 5101 is a light source for illuminating the biological sample S and an optical unit for guiding the light irradiated from the light source to the specimen. The light source may irradiate the biological sample with visible light, ultraviolet light, or infrared light, or a combination thereof. The light source may be one or more of halogen lamps, laser light sources, LED lamps, mercury lamps, and xenon lamps. A plurality of types and/or wavelengths of light sources may be used in fluorescence observation, and may be appropriately selected by those skilled in the art. The light irradiator may have a transmissive, reflective, or episcopic (coaxial or lateral) configuration.

(Optical part)
The optical section 5102 is configured to guide the light from the biological sample S to the signal acquisition section 5103 . The optical section can be configured to allow the microscope device 5100 to observe or image the biological sample S.
Optical section 5102 may include an objective lens. The type of objective lens may be appropriately selected by those skilled in the art according to the observation method. Also, the optical section may include a relay lens for relaying the image magnified by the objective lens to the signal acquisition section. The optical unit may further include optical components other than the objective lens and the relay lens, an eyepiece lens, a phase plate, a condenser lens, and the like.
In addition, the optical section 5102 may further include a wavelength separation section configured to separate light having a predetermined wavelength from the light from the biological sample S. The wavelength separation section can be configured to selectively allow light of a predetermined wavelength or wavelength range to reach the signal acquisition section. The wavelength separator may include, for example, one or more of a filter that selectively transmits light, a polarizing plate, a prism (Wollaston prism), and a diffraction grating. The optical components included in the wavelength separation section may be arranged, for example, on the optical path from the objective lens to the signal acquisition section. The wavelength separation unit is provided in the microscope apparatus when fluorescence observation is performed, particularly when an excitation light irradiation unit is included. The wavelength separator may be configured to separate fluorescent light from each other or white light and fluorescent light.

(Signal acquisition part)
The signal acquisition unit 5103 can be configured to receive light from the biological sample S and convert the light into an electrical signal, particularly a digital electrical signal. The signal acquisition unit may be configured to acquire data on the biological sample S based on the electrical signal. The signal acquisition unit may be configured to acquire data of an image (image, particularly a still image, a time-lapse image, or a moving image) of the biological sample S, particularly an image magnified by the optical unit. It can be configured to acquire data. The signal acquisition unit includes one or more imaging elements, such as CMOS or CCD, having a plurality of pixels arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally. The signal acquisition unit may include an image sensor for acquiring a low-resolution image and an image sensor for acquiring a high-resolution image, or an image sensor for sensing such as AF and an image sensor for image output for observation. and may include In addition to the plurality of pixels, the image sensor includes a signal processing unit (including one, two, or three of CPU, DSP, and memory) that performs signal processing using pixel signals from each pixel, and an output control unit for controlling output of image data generated from the pixel signals and processed data generated by the signal processing unit. Furthermore, the imaging device may include an asynchronous event detection sensor that detects, as an event, a change in brightness of a pixel that photoelectrically converts incident light exceeding a predetermined threshold. An imaging device including the plurality of pixels, the signal processing section, and the output control section may preferably be configured as a one-chip semiconductor device.

(control part)
The control unit 5110 controls imaging by the microscope device 5100 . For imaging control, the control unit can drive the movement of the optical unit 5102 and/or the sample placement unit 5104 to adjust the positional relationship between the optical unit and the sample placement unit. The control unit 5110 can move the optical unit and/or the sample placement unit in a direction toward or away from each other (for example, the optical axis direction of the objective lens). Further, the control section may move the optical section and/or the sample placement section in any direction on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis direction. The control unit may control the light irradiation unit 5101 and/or the signal acquisition unit 5103 for imaging control.

(Sample placement section)
The sample mounting section 5104 may be configured such that the position of the biological sample on the sample mounting section can be fixed, and may be a so-called stage. The sample mounting section 5104 can be configured to move the position of the biological sample in the optical axis direction of the objective lens and/or in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis direction.

(Information processing department)
The information processing section 5120 can acquire data (such as imaging data) acquired by the microscope device 5100 from the microscope device 5100 . The information processing section can perform image processing on the imaging data. The image processing may include color separation processing. The color separation process is a process of extracting data of light components of a predetermined wavelength or wavelength range from the captured data to generate image data, or removing data of light components of a predetermined wavelength or wavelength range from the captured data. It can include processing and the like. Further, the image processing may include autofluorescence separation processing for separating the autofluorescence component and dye component of the tissue section, and fluorescence separation processing for separating the wavelengths between dyes having different fluorescence wavelengths. In the autofluorescence separation processing, out of the plurality of specimens having the same or similar properties, autofluorescence signals extracted from one may be used to remove autofluorescence components from image information of the other specimen. .
The information processing section 5120 may transmit data for imaging control to the control section 5110, and the control section 5110 receiving the data may control imaging by the microscope apparatus 5100 according to the data.

The information processing section 5120 may be configured as an information processing device such as a general-purpose computer, and may include a CPU, RAM, and ROM. The information processing section may be included in the housing of the microscope device 5100 or may be outside the housing. Also, various processes or functions by the information processing unit may be realized by a server computer or cloud connected via a network.

A method of imaging the biological sample S by the microscope device 5100 may be appropriately selected by a person skilled in the art according to the type of the biological sample and the purpose of imaging. An example of the imaging method will be described below.

One example of an imaging scheme is as follows. The microscope device can first identify an imaging target region. The imaging target region may be specified so as to cover the entire region where the biological sample exists, or a target portion (target tissue section, target cell, or target lesion portion) of the biological sample. ) may be specified to cover Next, the microscope device divides the imaging target region into a plurality of divided regions of a predetermined size, and the microscope device sequentially images each divided region. As a result, an image of each divided area is obtained.
As shown in FIG. 21, the microscope device identifies an imaging target region R that covers the entire biological sample S. As shown in FIG. Then, the microscope device divides the imaging target region R into 16 divided regions. The microscope device can then image the segmented region R1, and then image any region included in the imaging target region R, such as a region adjacent to the segmented region R1. Then, image capturing of the divided areas is performed until there are no unimaged divided areas. Areas other than the imaging target area R may also be imaged based on the captured image information of the divided areas.
After imaging a certain divided area, the positional relationship between the microscope device and the sample mounting section is adjusted in order to image the next divided area. The adjustment may be performed by moving the microscope device, moving the sample placement unit, or moving both of them. In this example, the image capturing device that captures each divided area may be a two-dimensional image sensor (area sensor) or a one-dimensional image sensor (line sensor). The signal acquisition section may capture an image of each divided area via the optical section. Further, the imaging of each divided area may be performed continuously while moving the microscope device and/or the sample mounting section, or the movement of the microscope apparatus and/or the sample mounting section may be performed when imaging each divided area. may be stopped. The imaging target area may be divided so that the divided areas partially overlap each other, or the imaging target area may be divided so that the divided areas do not overlap. Each divided area may be imaged multiple times by changing imaging conditions such as focal length and/or exposure time.
Further, the information processing device can generate image data of a wider area by synthesizing a plurality of adjacent divided areas. By performing the synthesizing process over the entire imaging target area, it is possible to obtain an image of a wider area of the imaging target area. Also, image data with lower resolution can be generated from the image of the divided area or the image subjected to the synthesis processing.

Other examples of imaging schemes are as follows. The microscope device can first identify an imaging target region. The imaging target region may be specified so as to cover the entire region where the biological sample exists, or the target portion (target tissue section or target cell-containing portion) of the biological sample. may be specified. Next, the microscope device scans a part of the imaging target area (also referred to as a "divided scan area") in one direction (also referred to as a "scanning direction") in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis to capture an image. do. After the scanning of the divided scan area is completed, the next divided scan area next to the scan area is scanned. These scanning operations are repeated until the entire imaging target area is imaged.
As shown in FIG. 22 , the microscope device identifies a region (gray portion) in which the tissue section exists in the biological sample S as an imaging target region Sa. Then, the microscope device scans the divided scan area Rs in the imaging target area Sa in the Y-axis direction. After completing the scanning of the divided scan region Rs, the microscope device scans the next divided scan region in the X-axis direction. This operation is repeated until scanning is completed for the entire imaging target area Sa.
The positional relationship between the microscope device and the sample placement section is adjusted for scanning each divided scan area and for imaging the next divided scan area after imaging a certain divided scan area. The adjustment may be performed by moving the microscope device, moving the sample placement unit, or moving both of them. In this example, the imaging device that captures each divided scan area may be a one-dimensional imaging device (line sensor) or a two-dimensional imaging device (area sensor). The signal acquisition section may capture an image of each divided area via an enlarging optical system. Also, the imaging of each divided scan area may be performed continuously while moving the microscope device and/or the sample placement unit. The imaging target area may be divided so that the divided scan areas partially overlap each other, or the imaging target area may be divided so that the divided scan areas do not overlap. Each divided scan area may be imaged multiple times by changing imaging conditions such as focal length and/or exposure time.
Further, the information processing apparatus can combine a plurality of adjacent divided scan areas to generate image data of a wider area. By performing the synthesizing process over the entire imaging target area, it is possible to obtain an image of a wider area of the imaging target area. Further, image data with lower resolution can be generated from the image of the divided scan area or the image subjected to the synthesis processing.

It should be noted that the embodiments and modifications disclosed in this specification are merely illustrative in all respects and should not be construed as limiting. The embodiments and variations described above can be omitted, substituted, and modified in various ways without departing from the scope and spirit of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiments and modifications may be wholly or partially combined, and embodiments other than those described above may be combined with the above-described embodiments or modifications. Also, the advantages of the disclosure described herein are merely exemplary, and other advantages may be achieved.

The technical categories that embody the above technical ideas are not limited. For example, the above technical ideas may be embodied by a computer program for causing a computer to execute one or more procedures (steps) included in the method of manufacturing or using the above apparatus. Also, the above technical idea may be embodied by a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium in which such a computer program is recorded.

The present disclosure can also take the following configuration.

[Item 1]
an image acquisition unit that acquires a fluorescence image obtained by photographing a biological tissue containing a fluorescent substance while irradiating the biological tissue with excitation light;
a depth position information acquisition unit that acquires depth position information related to the depth position of the phosphor based on the fluorescence image;
The depth position information acquisition unit,
analyzing the fluorescence image to acquire spread information indicating the image intensity distribution of the phosphor in the fluorescence image;
A medical image processing apparatus for obtaining the depth position information by comparing the spread information with the spread function representing the image intensity distribution in the living tissue.

[Item 2]
The image acquiring unit acquires a visible light image obtained by photographing the living tissue while irradiating the living tissue with visible light,
The depth position information acquisition unit,
estimating the type of the biological tissue by analyzing the visible light image;
The medical image processing apparatus according to item 1, wherein the spread function corresponding to the estimated type of the biological tissue is obtained.

[Item 3]
the spread information is the luminance distribution of the phosphor in the fluorescence image;
3. The medical image processing apparatus according to item 1 or 2, wherein the spread function is a line spread function based on the luminance distribution of the phosphor and the depth position information.

[Item 4]
The spreading function includes as a parameter a scattering coefficient determined according to the fluorescence wavelength of the phosphor,
The depth position information acquisition unit,
obtaining a scattering coefficient corresponding to the fluorescence wavelength;
4. The medical image processing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the depth position information is acquired based on the spread function reflecting the scattering coefficient and the spread information.

[Item 5]
the biological tissue contains a plurality of fluorescent substances having mutually different fluorescent wavelengths,
The image acquisition unit acquires the fluorescence image obtained by irradiating the biological tissue with the excitation light of each of the plurality of fluorophores and photographing the biological tissue,
5. The medical image processing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the depth position information acquiring unit acquires the depth position information of each of the plurality of phosphors based on the fluorescence image.

[Item 6]
The depth position information acquisition unit acquires relative depth position information indicating a relative relationship of the depth positions between the plurality of phosphors based on the depth position information of each of the plurality of phosphors. 6. A medical image processing apparatus according to item 5.

[Item 7]
7. The medical image processing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 6, further comprising an image quality adjustment unit that performs sharpening processing on the fluorescence image according to the depth position information.

[Item 8]
An observation image generation unit that generates an observation image,
The image acquiring unit acquires a visible light image obtained by photographing the living tissue while irradiating the living tissue with visible light,
8. The medical image processing apparatus according to item 7, wherein, in the observation image, a portion corresponding to the phosphor of the fluorescence image after undergoing the sharpening process is superimposed on the visible light image.

[Item 9]
the biological tissue contains a plurality of fluorescent substances having mutually different fluorescent wavelengths,
The image acquisition unit acquires the fluorescence image obtained by photographing the biological tissue while irradiating the biological tissue with the excitation light of each of the plurality of fluorescent substances,
The depth position information acquisition unit acquires the depth position information of each of the plurality of phosphors based on the fluorescence image,
The observation image generation unit
Adjusting the relative brightness between the plurality of phosphors in the portion corresponding to the plurality of phosphors of the fluorescence image,
An item for generating the observation image by superimposing, on the visible light image, portions corresponding to the plurality of phosphors of the fluorescence image after adjusting the relative brightness among the plurality of phosphors. 9. The medical image processing apparatus according to 8.

[Item 10]
An observation image generation unit that generates an observation image,
The image acquiring unit acquires a visible light image obtained by photographing the living tissue while irradiating the living tissue with visible light,
The observation image generation unit
analyzing the fluorescence image after undergoing the sharpening process to specify the range of the phosphor in the living tissue;
8. The medical image processing apparatus according to item 7, which generates the observation image in which a portion corresponding to the range of the phosphor in the visible light image is emphasized.

[Item 11]
11. The medical image processing apparatus according to item 10, wherein the observation image generation unit generates the observation image in which a portion of the visible light image corresponding to the range of the phosphor is emphasized according to the depth position information. .

[Item 12]
an imaging unit that obtains a fluorescence image by imaging a biological tissue containing a fluorescent substance while irradiating the biological tissue with excitation light;
and a medical image processing device that analyzes the fluorescence image,
The medical image processing device is
an image acquisition unit that acquires the fluorescence image;
a depth position information acquisition unit that acquires depth position information related to the depth position of the phosphor based on the fluorescence image;
The depth position information acquisition unit,
analyzing the fluorescence image to acquire spread information indicating the image intensity distribution of the phosphor in the fluorescence image;
A medical observation system that acquires the depth position information by comparing the spread information with the spread function representing the image intensity distribution in the living tissue.

[Item 13]
A display device for displaying an observation image in which the location of the phosphor in the biological tissue is visibly displayed,
The imaging unit acquires a visible light image by imaging the living tissue while irradiating the living tissue with visible light,
13. The medical observation system according to item 12, wherein the medical image processing apparatus includes an observation image generation unit that generates the observation image based on the visible light image and the fluorescence image.

[Item 14]
14. The medical observation system according to

item

12 or 13, wherein the imaging unit adjusts imaging conditions based on the depth position information.

[Item 15]
Acquiring a fluorescence image obtained by photographing the living tissue containing the fluorescent material while irradiating the living tissue with excitation light;
analyzing the fluorescence image to acquire spread information indicating the image intensity distribution of the phosphor in the fluorescence image;
obtaining depth position information related to the depth position of the phosphor by comparing the spread information with the spread function representing the image intensity distribution in the living tissue;
A medical image processing method comprising:

[Item 16]
to the computer,
a procedure for acquiring a fluorescence image obtained by photographing a biological tissue containing a fluorescent substance while irradiating the biological tissue with excitation light;
a procedure of analyzing the fluorescence image to acquire spread information indicating the image intensity distribution of the phosphor in the fluorescence image;
a step of acquiring depth position information related to the depth position of the phosphor by comparing the spread information with the spread function representing the image intensity distribution in the living tissue;
program to run the

10 medical observation system 11 imaging unit 12 medical image processing device 13 output unit 21 camera controller 22 camera storage unit 23 imaging unit 24 light irradiation unit 25 sample support unit 31 output controller 32 output storage unit 33 display device 40 image processing controller 41 Image acquisition unit 42 Depth position information acquisition unit 43 Image quality adjustment unit 44 Observation image generation unit 45 Processing storage unit 100 Visible light image 101 Fluorescence image 102 Sharp fluorescence image 103 Observation image 200 Living tissue 200a Tissue surface 201 Blood vessel 202 Phosphor 203 Observation reference line

Claims

an image acquisition unit that acquires a fluorescence image obtained by photographing a living tissue containing a fluorescent substance while irradiating the living tissue with excitation light;
a depth position information acquisition unit that acquires depth position information related to the depth position of the phosphor based on the fluorescence image;
The depth position information acquisition unit,
analyzing the fluorescence image to acquire spread information indicating the image intensity distribution of the phosphor in the fluorescence image;
A medical image processing apparatus that acquires the depth position information by comparing the spread information with the spread function representing the image intensity distribution in the living tissue.
The image acquiring unit acquires a visible light image obtained by photographing the living tissue while irradiating the living tissue with visible light,
The depth position information acquisition unit,
estimating the type of the biological tissue by analyzing the visible light image;
2. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spread function corresponding to the estimated type of the biological tissue is obtained.
the spread information is the luminance distribution of the phosphor in the fluorescence image;
2. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the spread function is a line spread function based on the luminance distribution of the phosphor and the depth position information.
The spreading function includes as a parameter a scattering coefficient determined according to the fluorescence wavelength of the phosphor,
The depth position information acquisition unit,
obtaining a scattering coefficient corresponding to the fluorescence wavelength;
2. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the depth position information is acquired based on the spread function reflecting the scattering coefficient and the spread information.
the biological tissue contains a plurality of fluorescent substances having mutually different fluorescent wavelengths,
The image acquisition unit acquires the fluorescence image obtained by irradiating the biological tissue with the excitation light of each of the plurality of fluorophores and photographing the biological tissue,
The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the depth position information acquisition unit acquires the depth position information of each of the plurality of phosphors based on the fluorescence image.
The depth position information acquisition unit acquires relative depth position information indicating a relative relationship of the depth positions between the plurality of phosphors based on the depth position information of each of the plurality of phosphors. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 5.
The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 1, comprising an image quality adjustment unit that performs sharpening processing on the fluorescence image according to the depth position information.
An observation image generation unit that generates an observation image,
The image acquiring unit acquires a visible light image obtained by photographing the living tissue while irradiating the living tissue with visible light,
8. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein in the observation image, a portion corresponding to the phosphor of the fluorescence image after undergoing the sharpening process is superimposed on the visible light image.
the biological tissue contains a plurality of fluorescent substances having mutually different fluorescent wavelengths,
The image acquisition unit acquires the fluorescence image obtained by photographing the biological tissue while irradiating the biological tissue with the excitation light of each of the plurality of fluorescent substances,
The depth position information acquisition unit acquires the depth position information of each of the plurality of phosphors based on the fluorescence image,
The observation image generation unit
Adjusting the relative brightness between the plurality of phosphors in the portion corresponding to the plurality of phosphors of the fluorescence image,
generating the observed image by superimposing, on the visible light image, portions corresponding to the plurality of phosphors of the fluorescence image after adjusting relative brightness among the plurality of phosphors; Item 9. The medical image processing apparatus according to item 8.
An observation image generation unit that generates an observation image,
The image acquiring unit acquires a visible light image obtained by photographing the living tissue while irradiating the living tissue with visible light,
The observation image generation unit
analyzing the fluorescence image after undergoing the sharpening process to specify the range of the phosphor in the living tissue;
8. The medical image processing apparatus according to claim 7, which generates the observation image in which a portion corresponding to the range of the phosphor in the visible light image is emphasized.
11. The medical image processing according to claim 10, wherein the observation image generator generates the observation image in which a portion of the visible light image corresponding to the range of the phosphor is emphasized according to the depth position information. Device.
Acquiring a fluorescence image obtained by photographing the living tissue containing the fluorescent material while irradiating the living tissue with excitation light;
analyzing the fluorescence image to acquire spread information indicating the image intensity distribution of the phosphor in the fluorescence image;
obtaining depth position information related to the depth position of the phosphor by comparing the spread information with the spread function representing the image intensity distribution in the living tissue;
A medical image processing method comprising:
to the computer,
a procedure for acquiring a fluorescence image obtained by photographing a biological tissue containing a fluorescent substance while irradiating the biological tissue with excitation light;
a procedure of analyzing the fluorescence image to acquire spread information indicating the image intensity distribution of the phosphor in the fluorescence image;
a step of acquiring depth position information related to the depth position of the phosphor by comparing the spread information with the spread function representing the image intensity distribution in the living tissue;
program to run the